This was my first metal show in a month, and taking a small break made it a lot more fun. I had got out of the habit so much that I forgot my earplugs, which wasn't appreciated by my ears, but whatever. When going to shows become a habit, shows like this one where none of the bands playing is among your favourites become less exciting. Fortunately, after my 13 shows in November, I had slacked a bit on them, and thanks to that, I was kinda stoked for this one. This wasn't part of any tour, a promoter in Montreal decided that it would be cool to bring Dehumanized here since they had a new record out. It was a great idea indeed. I got there during the last third of the first opener's set and the place was already packed. There were about 200 people in the smallish bar/venue, a turnout that pleasantly surprised me - I had no idea that so many people here in Montreal had heard about these New Yorkers. Now, about the show... I originally had the intention of missing the first band, Cadaverine, but I ended up catching the two last song. I found them a bit less lame than when they opened for Sapremia. They played an inconsistent mix of generic death and thrash metal, mixed with some stoner doomy parts, which could be ok, but the members really lack cohesion. The guitarist and the bassist seemed like they were on two different planets and the drummer couldn't make it tight enough to keep them together. Also, the vocalist is a huge douche who doesn't know how to growl properly (I won't elaborate on that here, but trust me: he's an idiot). Let's say that seeing them only once would have been far enough for me.

The next band, Obsolete Mankind, was surely - on a tie with the headliners - the band I was the most excited to see. They haven't released anything yet and this was their first show ever, but the members of the band had been talking about for a really long time. Let me say I wasn't disappointed at all; these guys, and girl, represent the future of quebec brutal death metal. They're acutally a kind of supergroup, featuring ex-members of Neuraxis, Despised Icon, Vengeful and Atheretic. They play a mix of savage, blasted old school death metal and hardcore groove (a bit like what Misery Index does, but in a more brutal way). The sound wasn't perfect, especially for the drums, but the band fucking killed everything in its way. Marie-Hélène, who used to sing in Despised Icon and Borborygme, has greatly improved her technique and intensity. Her growls were extremely low and her screams were piercing. One of the highlights was a slower song they played, that had a more sludgy/atmospheric feel, in which her screams sounded desperate and really painful. She's one of the best vocalists out there, seriously. Aside from that, the songs were blisteringly brutal and I can't wait for their debut album to be released later this year. They're going to be playing with Nervous Impulse in March and there's no way I'm going to miss this.

The last local opener was Crosstitution and it was my seventh time seeing them. Their performances have lost some of their magic for me, since they always play the same songs, but they still gave a fun show like always. For those who don't know them, they play a mix of old school death metal and grindcore, with a lot of chaotic guiter leads. Their vocalist always soaks himself in fake blood before going on stage and has a pretty unique persona when he's up there. The guy's really nice and pleasant, but when he's up there, he just insults everybody, telling the crowd they're pussies, among other things. Their sets become some kind of game where everyone in the crowd and in his band insults him and he insults them back. This time he even got thrown a few beers by some idiots who kept climbing up on stage. Having no security sometimes has its downsides. At least, they didn't cause any real trouble. The band brought on a violent assault like they always do; the vocals were enraged and the drums were pounding, though the lack finesse. Very good overall performance, but I just wish they would change their set sometime.

Since the show had started after 9 pm and because of the slow changeups, it was getting pretty late when the headliners finally hit the stage. They totally had the american brutal death metal band look: all large bald (except for the bassist, but he's new in the band - it's only a matter of time until he muscles up and shaves) guys with longsleeves. Let's get things straight: Dehumanized fucking tore the whole place apart. The sound was exceptionally good for a band of their style; everything was clear and percussive. Before they started, I was starting to become a bit drowsy, but the blast beats slapped me in the face hard enough. The slamming parts the got the whole venue go insane. Everyone was headbanging and the pits were violent. The New York band had made the 7 hour trip to come play one single show, and they didn't to be disappointed at all by their first canadian appearance. This obliviously reflected on their performance, enormous loads of energy and badassery were emitted from the stage. Dehumanized then finished us off with two classics from Prophecies Foretold; I can't describe how heavy "Fade Into Obscurity" was. Since the crowd kept yelling, they played another great song from their new album at the end. Let's say it was a very worthwhile evening for everyone in the room.

Awesome, awesome review! That's awesome to see that many people for Dehumanized. And you're right, it must've been great for them to play their first Canadian show and have it that packed. They seem like nice guys, so I'm glad it worked out for them.

"it's only a matter of time until he muscles up and shaves" . I can only imagine how massively heavy Fade Into Obscurity was in a packed live setting! I was considering going to this show, but when I found out they're playing w/ Devourment and Internal Bleeding in March, I figured I'd save the cash. THAT will be a show for the ages.

Interesting to see Marie-Helene has a new band. Always wondered what she did in the many years since she left DI. And I wonder what the rest of the guys besides Alex are up to nowadays.